Mechanism for clamping and operating on workpieces



June 27,1950 T m- 2,512,753

MECHANISM FOR CLAMPING ANDOPERATING N WORKPIECES Original Filed March10, 1945 s She'ets-Sheet 1 [nu enZOr [3L Laurence E 9/7077? U i @v hisAtwrne MECHANISM FOR CLAMPING AND OPERATING 0N WORKPIECES 7 OriginalFiled March 10, 1945 L. E. TOPHAM June 27, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 2 0 00 i 7., L- 2 50mm? czr w imws 4, w! l l Ifilll I l l I1. 2/ 0 6 Ir x GInventor" Laurence E. T

June 27, 1950 L TQPHAM 512,753

MECHANISM FOR CLAMPING AND OPERATING 0N WORKPIECES Original Filed March10, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor Laurence E Top/29777 Patented June27, 1950 r U i'i TENT OFFICE 'MEGHANISM FOR GLAMPING AND OPERAT- ING-NWORKPIECES 4 Claims; (Cl. IMP-93) This invention relates toan improvedmechanism for clamping and operating on work parts and is hereinillustrated as applied to 1ast=d'r'illing machine of the type disclosedinan application for Letters Patent oi the United States, Se rial No.582,011, filed on March 10, 1945, of which this application is adivision. Itwill'be understood, however, that this invention is notlimited to machines of particular type but is broadly applicable in anymachine having a power driven tool for performing an operation on aworkpiece, a support for the work piece adapted to present the workpiece to the tool and' mechanismfor moving the tool into and out ofengagement with the work piece.

It is the purpose of the invention to provide'a simple yet effectivemechanism insuring that the work piece will be firml clamped upon thesup port and that the tool cannot be moved into operative engagementwith the work piece unless and until the latter is firmly clampedinoperative position on the support.

To this end and in accordance Withthe invention, there is provided aWork. clamping member which is moved into clamping engagement with thework piece on the support by operator controlled mechanism. "Thisoperator -controlled mechanism includes connections to mechanism formoving the tool into 'engagement wi-th the work piece, andthese'connections-are "so-con-- structed and arranged that on op erationof the operator controlled mechanism the "clamping member is first movedinto clampingengagenient with the work piece and then automaticallylocked in work clamping position, whereupon*co tinued operation of theoperator controlled mechanism causes movement of the tool into operativeengagement with the work.

' These and other features of the inventionwill now be described indetail in connection with the accompanying drawings and wilI'be-pointed'out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view, substantially infr'ont elevation, of a last drillingmachinein which the' 'invention is shown as embodied;

Fig. 2 is a detail view, in front elevation; ot a holddown mechanism anddrill elevating niechanism associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts substantially as shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a detail view partlybro'kenaway ahd in cross section, takenalong the lineIV- IV-oT Fig. 3, viewed in the direction of theiar'r'ows.I

The illustrated last drilling machine serves to bore a thimble holeintothe top 'face or cr'own I of the heel and of a'shoelastLrestingbbttom up on a-lastsupport' P with which the machine'isprovided.

The frame; of the illustrated machine comprises a base It (Fig. 1) toWhich-is secured an upright column I 2. For supporting the drill'head ofthe machine there is provided a bracket '14 (Figs. 1, 2 and '3). Thebracket I4 is clamped to the column l2 by'bolts l6 and extends radiallytherefrom. For carrying the last support a i bracket I8 is providedwhich'is also secured tothe column I2'and extends radially 'therefrom atan acute angle to the bracket [4. Both brackets-l4 and It are securedtogether by vertical screw bolts 28.

The operating mechanism of the illustrated machine comprises an upwardlyextending, vertically movable rotary dri1l' 2-2 (Figs. land 2) which issecured in a chucki i provided on the upper end of a rotary drill shaft26. The shaft 26*has an chlarg'ed-portion-Zfi which is'ro'tatablymounted and axially slidable in a bearing provided in the bracketl t.The lowerendof the shaft ZE-car'ries a bank'oi'stepped'pulleys=30 ofdifferent diameters and, hence, different peripheral speeds. The pulleysare splined'onthe shaft 26, the arrangement being so that the pulleystilare constrained to rotate with-the shaft 26' but the-shaft can move inthe direction of the axis of rotation withrelation to'the pulleys '30,

this to feed the'drill '22 into the work. The pillleys'30 are driven' bya belt '32 connecting a selected one of the pulleys 30"with a selectedpulley of a similar-but invertedbank of 7 s'tepped 'pulleys 34-securedon the rotor shaft of amotortt. The

' motor 36 is fastened to an extension 38 of the treadle 42"is'pivotally' secured at 'M 'to 'a small bracket lfi fastened to thecolumn '12.

"Th'e' -illustrated machine is providedwith a holddown mechanism whichserves to su'pport the last-mounted on the last support? againstthethrust Ofthe'driII 'ZZ during the drilling operati'on. Refei' ring tot'he drawings, itwi1l be noted jection 65 provided on the sleeve 60 witha pin secured in a socket 68 provided on the lever 52. The spring 64, inpulling up on the lever 52, elevates the fulcrum stud 54 by rocking thelever 56 about its pivot screw 58 until the rear end of the lever 56strikes a projection 19 provided on the sleeve 6t.

To move the holddown 59 into contact with the heel seat portion of thelast L supported in the machine, there is provided a rod 12 which ispivotally secured by a stud T4 to the arm of the lever 52 on which theholddown 59 is provided. Upon downward movement of the rod 12, the lever52 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2,about the stud 56. At the same time, the lever 56 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction and its rear arm is moved out of contact withthe abutment i9. To move the rod 12 downward, it is provided at itslower end with a fork it which is pivotally connected by a stud 18 to alever 30 pivotally movable at one end about a stud 82. The other end ofthe lever 89 is pivotally connected to a treadle rod 84 which at itslower end is pivotally connected to the above described treadle 32. Aspring lit connecting the treadle 42 with a bracket 83 secured to thecolumn [2 serves to elevate the treadle into its normal inoperativeposition, thereby elevating the holddown.

To lock the holddown Elli in last contacting position, a pawl St isprovided which is movable about a fixed stud 92 and which is arranged tobe moved beneath the right hand arm of the lever 52 (as viewed in Figs.1 and 2) after the holddown 58 has been moved into contact with thelast. For the purpose of controlling the movement of the pawl 96] it isprovided with a substantially horizontal arm which is secured by meansof a screw 94 to one arm of a two-armed lever 96 which is also pivotedon the fixed stud 92. The pawl 95! is adjustable with relation to thelever 99 and to this end the horizontal arm of the pawl is provided witha vertically extending slot 98 receiving the screw 94. The screw 94 whentightened secures the pawl to the lever 96 in the selected position ofadjustment. The right hand arm of the lever 96 is connected by a spring388 with the above mentioned abutment ill on the sleeve 69. The sprinIll!) tends, after the holddown has been moved into contact with a lastmounted on the last support P, to swing the lever 96 in acounterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2, to move the pawl 90beneath the right hand arm of the lever 52 and to prevent clockwiserotation of the lever 52 as a result of which the holddown would beraised from the last. In the inoperative position of the parts (Fig. 2),the left hand extremity of the lever 96, which is fork shaped and restson the flat top face of the fork shaped end it of the rod 12, isprevented from moving down so as to swing the pawl 90 into lookingposition because the rod 12 and the fork shaped end it are in theirelevated positions. However, after downward movement of the rod 12 andcounterclockwise movement of the lever 4 52 to move the holddown 583into contact with the last, both the lever 96 and the pawl 90 are nowfree to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction about the stud 92 bythe spring $00, thus locking the lever 52 and the holddown 56 inoperative positions.

The above described mechanism for moving the hOlddOWn 50 into lastengaging position and for holding it in that position is connected withmechanism for elevating the rotary drill 22 so as to feed it into thework. It should be noted that the above mentioned pivot stud 82 is onlystationary so long as the lever 52 is rotated in a counterclockwisedirection to move the holddown into last engagement. After the holddownis in engagement with the last and the lever 52 has been locked by thepawl 90 so that it can rotate neither in. one direction nor the other,the rod 12 no longer can be moved downward and, consequently, the pivotstud 18 now becomes a fixed fulcrum about which the lever 88 is rockedin a counterclockwise direction upon continued movement of the treadlerod 84. The result is an elevation of the pivot stud 82. The latter isconnected me which meshes with a pinion lit (Figs. 3 and l) formed on acountershaft H2 rotatable in hearings in the bracket 4. The pinion H0meshes with a rack ii l provided on the portion 28 of the shaft 25.Consequently, on elevation of the pivot stud 82 after the holddown hasbeen moved into last engagement and locked, the arm H34, as a result ofthe continued downward movement of the treadle rod 84, is rotated toelevate the drill shaft 26 through the agency of the gear segment H33,pinion lid and rack H4. The advantage of this mechanism is that both thelooking of the last L against the thrust of the drill 22 and the feedingof the drill are effected by one continuous treadle operation and thatthe drill cannot be fed into the last until after the last has beenengaged by the holddown and the holddown has been locked in lastengaging position.

In the operation of the machine a last L to be drilled is mounted on thelast support P. Thereafter the treadle 4-2 is depressed with the resultthat the holddown 50 is brought down into engagement with the heel seatportion of the supported last and is locked in last engaging position asdescribed.

By the continued depression of the treadle the drill 22, which iscontinuously rotated, is elevated to engage the top face of the heel endof the last and is fed into it so as to bore a thimble hole into thelast. This having been accomplished, the treadle 42 is released and ispulled up by the spring 86 with the result that the drill is lowered.After the drill has been lowered into its inoperative position,continued upward movement of the treadle 42 causes the positiveunlocking of the lever 52 by the engagement of the upwardly moving forkT5 with the latch controlling lever 96. Finally, the holddown 5D isswung upward and its floating fulcrum stud 54 is elevated by the spring64 until the arm of the lever 56? again engages the abutment 19.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on a work piece, a support for the workpiece, a tool movable with relation to the support to operate on thework piece, means for so moving the tool, a clamp adapted to engage theWork piece on the support to hold the work piece against the thrust ofthe tool, means for moving the clamp into engagement with the workpiece, a latch for locking the clamp in work-engaging position, aconnection between the clamp-moving means and the latch for renderingthe latch operative on movement of the clamp into work-engagingposition, a connection between the clamp-moving means and thetool-moving means, and means active after the clamp has been locked torender the last-mentioned connection effective to move the tool withrelation to the support.

2. In a machine for operating on a Work piece, a support for the workpiece, a tool movable with relation to the support to operate on thework piece, a clamp for holding the work piece on the support againstthe thrust of the tool, clampoperating means, tool-operating means, anoperating lever, a connection between the lever and the clamp-operatingmeans, another connection between the lever and the tool-operatingmeans, and an operator-controlled means for rotating the lever about thelast-mentioned connection to operate the clamp and then for rotating thelever about the first-mentioned connection to operate the tool.

3. In a machine for operating on a work piece, a support for the workpiece, a tool movable with relation to the support to operate on thework piece, a clamp for holding the work piece on the support againstthe thrust of the tool, clampoperating means, tool-operating means, alatch for locking the clamp in work-clamping position, a spring tendingto move the latch into locking position, a link connecting the latchwith the clamp-operating means and normally holding the latch out of itslocking position, an operating lever, a connection between the lever andthe clamp-operating means, another connection between the lever and thetool-operating means, and operator-controlled means for rotating thelever about the last-mentioned connection to operate the clamp andpermit the spring to move the latch into its locking position and forthen rotating the lever about its first-mentioned connection to operatethe tool.

4. In a machine for drilling the heel ends of lasts, an upwardlyextending and upwardly movable drill, a last support for presenting alast to the drill in a position for the drill to bore a thimble holeinto the top face of the heel end of the last, a holddown for holdingthe last on the support against the upward thrust of the drill, meansfor moving the holddown into engagement with the last prior to theinitiation of the last-drilling operation, means for moving the drillupwardly, a latch for locking the holddown in last-engaging position, aconnection between the holddownmoving means and the latch for renderingthe latch operative on movement of the holddown into work-engagingposition, a connection between the holddown-moving means and thedrillmoving means, and means active after the holddown has been lockedto render the last-mentioned connection effective to move the drillupwardly.

LAURENCE E. TOPHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,427,805 Hadaway et a1 Sept. 5,1922 1,973,204 Goss et a1 Sept. 11, 1934 2,174,602 Seely Oct. 3, 19392,350,002 Van Sittert et a1. May 30, 1944 2,387,102 Wallis Oct. 16, 1945

